Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-06-23
BATTLE FLAGS.
Grand Army Posts Excited over q
Recent Order.
General Fairchild vehementIy Denounces
the Return OF the Standards to South
ern States q Legal Injunction
Threatened.

the mana that wrote the OrQer- May zoo
palsy the brain that conceived it, and may
God palsy the tongue that dictated it." g.
A. r. veterans heard these words with
bated breath and glanced at each other
Swith awe as the terrible sentences rang out
from the commander-in-chief of the q. A
r. last night in Association Hall in Harlem.
The occasion was reception rendered &c
the commandments by Alexander
Hamilton post 1924 G. A. R. Visitors were
post of this city and vicinity. Post
Commander A. NJ. Underhill pro
sided. Among those present were
Senior Vice Department Commander Laf
ferty, Junior Vice Commander Charles
Hall Grant, Past State Commander Hedges,
of Haverstraw, and Corporal Tanner. Be-
fore the meeting adjourned it became
known that General Ross, of Austin, Tex,
had received letter from the Adjutant-
General of the United States army stating
that the President had approved the recon-
mendation and the writer had been in
structed by the Secretary of War to return
all the Confederate flags in the care of the
War Department to the Southern States
from whose regiment the flags had been
captured in the war of the rebellion.
General Fairchild entered the hall with
stern set features. Hardly waiting for the
the usual courtesies he burst forth with
the ex pressions recorded. He told of the
pews received by telegraph that the Presi'
dent had approved of the return of the
''rebeP' flags which the veterans had placed
in the care of the War Department. They
were intended, he said, to be kept in the
archives of the Nation as mementoes of
hard won fields of battle. The speaker
continued: How can the present loyal
Governors of the Southern States accept
the emblems of treason after their profess
sions of loyalty to the Union? Must they
not return them to the Secretary and say
that they have nothing to do with the
flags, as the rebel organizations are extinct
and their Governors are dead.n
General Fairchild said that he had fire.
Quently listened to sentiments which ha6
caused him to bite his tongue in the effort
to maintain Self-control. A few months
past he had visited G. A. r. posts in every
State in the North, East and West. He
had never at any post meeting heard any
thing but kindly feelings expressed toward
the men who had looked into the gun-bar
rels of Northern troops during the war
AS COMMUNICATIVE chief he had tried to en-
courage this kindly feeling. Now this was
changed. The time had come to speak ir
the name of the organization. Raising his
only hand he said: II appeal to the senti
ment of the nation to forbid this sacrilege.'
There was moments silence. Then
wald hurrah went up and was repeated and
raj Tanner. He made a violent speech in
which, speaking of the proposed trip
of Cleveland to st. Louis that had been dis
cussed by veterans, he said that he had ad
Vised the Western veterans to treat the
President with respect due him, but now
had come an order for which nothing could
come but condemnation. These remarks
were received with shouts and cheers.
Then Edmund Kennick, late Inspector
General of the Department of New York
under General Sickles, leaped to the plat
form and offered the following resolutions:
WHEREAS, The President OF the United
States having approved the recommendations
that all the battle flags in the custody OF the
War Department belonging to the Southern
States in rebellion during the late civil war be
returned to the respective States which bore
them for such final disposition as they may de
termine, be it
l2esOLced That this post views with surprise
the action OF the President and records its pro
test thereto; and,
aPeSolUed That the sacrifice of blood which the
captured .emblems represent was sacrifice tc
liberty. national union and to God; and
HssOLUed, That no sentiment OF generosity
and no expression of magnanimity is involved
in the surrender of these covenants OF national
honor; and,
9Pesolced, That it now only remains to direct
that the hattie flags of the Union be distrib
uted among the representatives OF the so
called ,Confederacy a fitting acknowledgment
ReS0EUed, That this post expresses its disap
probation of this act of the first President OF
the United States who has held office disasso
ciated from the memories of the war for the
Onion.
The resolutions were carried with a
shout. Arrangements will be made to
have a mass meeting of veterans next
week to protest against the action of the
President.
FoRAKER's PROTEST.
COLUMBUS, o., June 16-Goveruor Fora
leer yesterday received a telegram from d.
c. Putnam, of Springfield, Department
Commander of the q. A. X. of Ohio, urging
him in behalf of the thirty-seven posts OF
this department to protest to the authori
ties at Washington against the return of
the rebel flags captured by the soldiers
of Ohio The Governor forwarded
the telegram to President Cleve-
Land, and in the same connec-
ton said: sin transmitting this message
desire to comply with it's request and do
most earnestly protest against the action
to which it relates. The patriotic people OF
this State are shocked and indignant be-
yond any thing can express. / earnestly
request YOU to revoke the order that has
given such unqualified offense." The Gov
ernor also sent telegram to General Boutin
at. Washington asking him to take legal ad-
vice and institute proceedings to enioin the
return of the cebel flags which w ere cap
tured by Ohio troops.
FUTILE AND d.ARABEE
Dies MONIES, Iowa, dune 16-Generai
Tuttle, commander of the G.. A. R for
Iowa, yesterday asked Governor Larabee
to protest to President Cleveland against
any rebel flags captured by Iowa troops be-
ing surrendered to the South and to take
legal steps to en5oin any such surrender if
st is contemplated. Governor Larabee has
autographed the President IN emphatic pro-
test and will take legal steps II necessary
e make the protest elective.
More OF Craig TolIfxer.
LOUIS VILE, KY, June 16-A special